[Oe List ...] Spirit of the 20's

[Jack Gilles]

John and Colleagues,

You have laid out the classic analysis of the existential crisis the world is facing very well. Indeed, the collective threat to our human and planetary existence is before us. What is obvious is that the pain will increase; for all of us. There will be no escape. We will all weep at the destruction of the planet and as the dehumanizing forces react to the fear they feel. Let these tears cleanse our hearts and clear the dust from our minds. We will rejoice at the signs of possibilities that so many will demonstrate daily, even though they also face the wind that can blow out the candles of hope. Cruelty will grow, greed will flourish and the beast will roar. Courage will be in big demand. 

So many years ago, amazingly we saw it coming, although we had no idea of the particulars. You can remember and resonate to the words of wisdom that were spoken then. “Without a NRM there will be no NSV”. “Although we are engaged in the campaigns of Awakenment and Demonstration, the day after tomorrow we will only be doing the Third Campaign, Caring for those who Care.” “Discerning the Contradiction is the key to creative change”. “Never attack directly, indirection is the way”. "Without a disciplined body of people there will be no success." And wow, all the learnings we amassed! We failed at replication, but now we know why. We failed at expanding Religious Houses, but now we know why. We failed at renewing the historical Christian church, but now we know why. And that wisdom needs to be collected and shared. Thus the mission of the Living Archives. It is now time to share that wisdom, but not with just everyone, but with the newly awakened ones, those who discovered the Second Mountain, as David Brooks describes it. With those who have discovered the primacy of the local but have done so in partnership with the living Earth. We can trust the Mystery to raise up stones in amazing ways. New life will fill “dem bones”. New poetry, stories, songs and symbols will lift hearts and strengthen spines. 

Enough of the words. Practically what do we do? Most of us are long-in-the tooth, so we must discern our elder role and develop the strategy to make it happen. Time is short to do so. Maybe the ICA’s is the vehicle, maybe not. We lost something when we shifted from Global language to National language. The nation state is a social vehicle that will not work, it is dead, but sure does look and act alive (I mean it doesn’t represent the way life is anymore). So start with our Grid. Watch the TED talk on the 50 Urban Nodes that have emerged (these are the Areas from our Grid). Listen to the wisdom of Larry Ward and Peggy Rowe (see Larry’s short TED talk). Become fluent in speaking of what we called the NRM. See how it is indeed the absolute requirement to lead in the creation of the NSV. Understand the dynamics of the creative process and how our Social Process work reveals the wisdom of how it happens, and review the Pressure Points and Whistle Points for their relevance today, and have they shifted? Grasp the dynamics and forms of The Wayside Inn and how it can function. Probe the deeps of Imaginal Education and see how it can transform people. And so much more. Perhaps we need a forum to do the creative work needed as we remain dispersed. May I suggest the Living Archives can be such a forum, a way to glean every bit of our life experience of scattered wisdom and pull it through our collective historical wisdom. 

As my dear colleague Larry Philbrook always says:

With Respect,

Jack



> On Aug 28, 2019, at 16:36, John Epps via OE <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:
> 
> The Spirit of the 20’s
> John Epps, August 2019
> 
> The categories for determining the spirit of a decade supposedly come from Kierkegaard: An External Situation creates an Internal Crisis which raises an Existential Question from which we try to Escape. I’ve used them in trying to assess the situation since the 60’s. Here we go again:
> 
> The Prevailing Spirit:
> Our External Situation is best characterized as one of THREAT. Economically, health care costs are rising astronomically, the move away from fossil fuels and the trade war with China have put markets in turmoil and talk of recession is in the air. Politically, we have cut off alliances and find Russia, N. Korea, and Iran all upgrading their nuclear capabilities. USA Congress seems unable to act. Culturally, we are besieged with increased numbers of immigrants and mass shootings now appear commonplace. And encompassing all this chaos is the Earth’s environment which appears to be undergoing dangerous changes due to global warming.
> 
> All this has generated or contributed to an Internal Crisis of FEAR. We increasingly fear those who differ from us, whether by race, gender identification, nationality, or ideology. Everything different seems a threat, and we fear the changes already in progress. Compromise seems weak, and we’re increasingly in a black or white situation: agree or fight.
> 
> The Existential Question in this situation is HOW CAN WE SURVIVE? With the environment collapsing and threats at every turn, what can we do? Problems seem too big to tackle, and local action, while effective, remains local while the issues are larger. Institutions we developed to address larger issues appear paralyzed: CONGRESS, UN, NATO, NAFTA, ASEAN, Treaties with Iran and the Paris Accords for Climate all appear ineffective in providing remedies. Attempts to inact gun control legislation, despite agreement from both parties, cannot move through Congress.
> 
> We Escape through BLAMESTORMING; we look for scapegoats for each issue, then cast them as enemies toward which hatred is the only suitable relation. We demonize NRA, GOP, “Moscow Mitch,” Trump, Kim, Putin, Refugees, Democrats, Immigrants, Socialists, and many others. Extreme hostility takes the guise of radical nationalism attempting to band “us” against “them” or in too many cases, mass shootings aimed at eliminating “them.”
> 
> Towards an Authentic Response:
> This is where we meet the question of God today: wrestling with the question of responding to threats to our existence.
> 
> Local action may be the most we can do, and since that makes a difference, should be pursued with vigor. Maybe, over time, the mass changes needed can come from local people.
> 
> The threats are real. The status quo cannot and will not survive. The future is really open and unpredictable. We can, however, have a hand in inventing it.
> 
> Your comments, additions, corrections, and insights are most welcome. 
> 
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